There’s no other way to say it: teachers are heroes. They’re courageous and kind, selfless and brave and wise. Can you think of a teacher who spent time with you after school so you could understand how to multiply fractions? Or listened when you had a problem with a friend and didn’t know how to respond to it? Or wrote letters of recommendation when you applied for colleges? It seems like teachers can make magic out of thin air. But as we’ll hear today, it’s not magic—it’s years of training, hard work, and a lot of creativity. Emily’s talking with her sister-in-law, Taylor, Team Simplified’s Administrator extraordinaire who’s super good at juggling, thanks to the seven years she spent as a teacher! Taylor and Emily talk about why Taylor decided to be a teacher (spoiler alert: someone very close to both Emily *and* Taylor was the inspiration!), some of the lows and highs of the job, and what she wishes all parents understood about teaching. Taylor also reveals the very doable thing any parent could do to help a teacher (we’ll never think about teacher gifts the same way again!), and the most helpful way parents could get involved with their kids’ education.
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Thought-Provoking Quotes
“Your child's success is going to be a result of teamwork. So that is you working alongside your child's teacher. It's not just the teacher's responsibility to get them there. They've got to feel supported at school and at home.” – Taylor Cowan
“Parents can help teachers by offering time. If you don't have the time, then maybe offer your resources, whether that's coming to make copies for them or seeing if there's any supplies running low. Just check in with them.” – Taylor Cowan
A Blessing for Your Week
If you’re a mama, may your family begin this new school year with minds that are excited to learn new things and take on new challenges, with eyes ready to see who might need a helping hand, and with hearts filled with love as you meet each other back at home after your long days.
If you’re a teacher, may the lessons you plant in your students come with fewer obstacles and more ease. May your hands remain strong and gentle, and your mind and pencils sharp as ever. And one day, I hope you see the seeds you’ve been planting yield good fruit, that your work may nourish more people than you could ever realize.
Simplicity Tip of the Week
Listen, I’ve been there: it’s the first day of school, or it’s almost winter break, or the end of the school year—and you feel like you need to get your kid’s teacher a gift. What do you do? Well, you can do two things: you can give yourself the gift of not reinventing the wheel and also get your kid’s teacher something they’ll really love. In fact, you can give the same kind of gift every single time it’s time to get a gift. And you know what teachers like? Gift cards. Lots and lots of gift cards. They take up no room, and they can decide how best to use it.
At the beginning of the school year, you could pick up a pack of gift cards from Office Depot or Amazon, to help teachers buy supplies throughout the year. At Christmas, you could give everyone’s favorite gift card: a Starbucks gift card, because caffeine. And at the end of the school year, you could give them a “Bon voyage, enjoy your summer!” gift card with something from Airbnb or Southwest. If you need a cute little something to go along with it, you could stock up on Simplified notepads or pens or binder clips, to give your gift an extra special touch.
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